The much anticipated Temporary Parent Visa has been announced, and will commence on the 17th April 2019.
This news will bring much joy to grandparents and parents around the world, who will now have the opportunity to obtain a long term, temporary visa, for 3 or 5 years, which will allow them to enter Australia and spend time with their children and grandchildren – WITHOUT having to leave the country every 3 or 12 months.  The visa may be renewed once, provided the visa holder spends at least 3 months outside Australia in between sponsored parent visas.
It’s also a great way for people who have already applied for a Parent Visa, to enter the country and remain while their Parent visa is under consideration.
A Sponsorship is required.
The “Balance of Family Test” does NOT have to be met for this visa. But, the visa applicant(s) must be sponsored by a child or stepchild of the visa applicant who is at least 18, and a permanent resident or citizen of Australia, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, and has been usually resident for at least 4 years.  The sponsorship must be approved before a parent visa may be lodged. And, only two parents per household can be sponsored at a time.
Can I work on the visa?
A No Work condition will be imposed on the visa.  It is being described as a visa which will allow people to “temporarily reunite” with their children and grandchildren.
Will the visa lead to Permanent Residency?
The Temporary Parent Visa is effectively a “visitor visa on steroids”. It allows a parent to enter temporarily, but not work, and the sponsorship ensure that no undue costs to the Commonwealth will arise. It does not have a pathway to permanent residency, and it will only be for a maximum of 10 years. However, parents who meet the Balance of Family Test may still have options for a separate permanent Parent visa, under the existing pathways.
Cost of the VisaÂ
The cost is broken down into Sponsorship and Visa charges. It will cost $420 to lodge a sponsorship. A three year Temporary Parent Visa will cost $5,000; a five year Temporary Parent Visa will cost $10,000. Further, the introduction of the Temporary Parent Visa will replace the current concessional 3 and 5 year Tourist Visas, which are now available to parents who have applied for a Parent Visa, or who have Australian citizen or permanent resident children.  Effectively that means that the Department will now charge $5000 and $10000 for a very similar visa that currently can be applied for with a $140 visa application charge. The main difference is that, on the Temporary Parent Visa, you will not have to leave the country every year, so can become a little more “settled” while accepting it is not permanent.
Interested to know more?
We have a Fact Sheet on the Temporary Parent Visa, outlining full costs, and we anticipate strong demand for the visa.  There will be a limit of 15,000 places per year.  Please contact us if you are interested in pursuing an application for a Temporary Parent Visa.
